Of Drinks and Prophecies
by denise3
Summary: Kirk tries to enjoy his last free night before embarking on his five year mission as captain of the USS Enterprise. First teaser for upcoming series "The Enterprise and the Doctor"


A/N: First teaser for my upcoming series, The Enterprise and the Doctor, my way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.

Disclaimer: Star Trek is still owned by CBS and Paramount Pictures, when I write this.

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(Date: 2265)

James Kirk turned and waved back to his friends. It was late, and they had to be up early the next morning. He, however, wasn't expected to report back before mid-afternoon. He wanted to make the most of his last free time before finally leaving for his five-year mission, and there were a few new pubs he hadn't visited yet. Just around the corner there was a new one that Phil had emphatically recommended that he check it out.

He came through the double doors and smiled in approval. Nice ambience, not too crowded, soft pleasant background music, and some attractive views. While moving towards the bar to ask for a drink, he noticed a young woman at a nearby table who seemed to be staring in his direction. He thought, what the heck, it was as good an opportunity as any. So he asked for two of whatever it was that she was drinking and walked back to her table.

"Hello, may I sit with you?" he said, offering her one of the drinks in place of her nearly empty one and moving to sit across her.

"Yes, of course. Captain Kirk." she replied, to his surprise. "I'm Alla. You're new here."

"Well, yes, how do you know me? I'm not that famous, am I?" asked the Starfleet captain, befuddled. He had appeared in some newscasts, the previous year, but he thought no one would remember him by now.

"Oh, I've seen you, Captain, where you were, where you are, and where you're going to." Seeing the disbelieving look in Kirk's eyes, the girl quickly added "oh, you don't know me yet. I am a seer. I have this gift. I'm often here so I thought others might have mentioned me. And you, Captain, you are the focus of some powerful energies. You have a great destiny."

"I'd like to think so, yes" replied Kirk, not really liking where this conversation was turning to. He wondered if it wouldn't be best if he moved right away to look for different company.

"You see, with most people, I come up with some things to say to make them happy" she continued, staring into his eyes. He was fascinated, and briefly forgot about moving away. "I know how to read people so it's easy. But I was born with this gift. And sometimes, just every once in a while, I meet someone whose future shines brightly enough that I can see it. Some people are just really important, so much so that the Universe itself bends around this person, and I can sense the wrinkles. And you, my dear Captain, I have yet to see anyone with as much destiny wrapped around as you."

"But..." he tried to interject something, but nothing came up, so he simply stared back, struggling to recover his wits.

"Five years, Captain", and Kirk noticed suddenly that she had grabbed his arm and, with surprising force, was holding him there. He didn't want to hurt her so he tried to disentangle himself while she continued talking. "Five years of roaming the galaxy. You'll be met by so many, and change their destiny, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. So many deaths, so much violence and war, but so much hope, and beauty."

Her eyes were shining, she was entranced, looking through him at something only she could see.

"And Time!" she exclaimed, surprised. "You'll be in the past, and the future, and the threads of Time are warped around you. You'll leave a deep impression in the universe. Such destiny will call many to you. Be careful! Many will try to manipulate you for their own ends. Look for the Lord of Time. He may help you" she said, finally releasing him. As he stumbled away, she finished "or he may destroy you." But he barely heard these last words, in the rush to get away.

Disturbed, Kirk left the bar, wanting to put as much distance as he could between himself and the self-proclaimed seer. How could anyone claim to be a seer in this time and age was beyond him, but he supposed superstition wasn't quite dead yet. He wasn't ready to admit how much he had been affected by her words.

As he walked away from the place, he managed to recover his balance and decided he'd not let a silly girl scare him away from having a good time. So he went to another pub, to try to pick up where he left.

He visited many other places that night, those in his list and a few others to boot. However, as much as he tried, his mind was not really on it, and whenever he tried to strike conversation with another girl, his attention would drift away at the smallest things. Finally, angry and frustrated, he returned to his quarters and dropped on the bed, feeling so tired he barely had time to remove his shoes before he fell asleep. In the following morning, after a good shower, he managed to forget all about the words of the seer and the terrible dreams that followed him into the night, and all that remained was a deep disappointment. And a sense of foreboding he was doing his best to bury away into his subconscious.

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First story in my collection To Boldly Go, set in the Star Trek universe. The stories will be mostly canon except perhaps for a few details. I'll be publishing a new story or chapter every Friday.


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